Camp Workday

I spent the last day and a half up at our camp, mostly working, but even during those times of all work and no play I still keep my eyes and ears open. The outside of the camp house needed cleaning so I was about to start on that when I saw a small eastern fence lizard creeping out from under the house.

I've written about these before and as you may recall they are incredibly fast and hard to catch. I remembered having a small aquarium net inside, so I retrieved it and it worked perfectly. It was a male, identified by the beautiful blue markings on its throat and belly.



After photographing it I went to release it on a small wood pile out front and noticed a larger one basking in the sun, so I grabbed the net and was lucky again. This one was three times as big as the first and a bit more aggressive as it tried to bite me several times.

Notice the tail of the larger lizard. You can see where it had broken off (defensive measure or "tail autotomy") and grown back. Each time I grab any lizard I'm very careful not to involve the tail in the capture so as not to cause its loss. Losing the tail can spare its life from predators, but it is costly. Protein and fat which is needed for energy now has to be diverted into growing a new one.

Carpenter bees were very active as they were buzzing around me as I worked, I'm sure looking for a nice spot for to tunnel. A male (expressed by the white patch on its face- females lack this) landed on the electrical panel allowing me to get some nice shots.

I checked my bluebird box that has been up since 2007 and unfortunately they have not yet begun building a nest. Last season was the first time since I put this box up that they did not nest in it. Still haven't figured out why.....wasps?? I checked my neighbor's box on the way home and found that he had a nest and one egg. Good for him. Hopefully there's still a chance for my nestbox this year.

There were lots of butterflies flitting by throughout the day- mostly swallowtails-zebra, tiger, black, spicebush, and an occasional monarch. Birds seen and/or heard- tufted titmouse, Carolina chickadee, northern cardinal, red-bellied woodpecker, mourning dove, chipping sparrows, blackburnian warbler.

In full bloom, among other things, was the yellow jessamine vine. It seemed that everywhere I looked this vine was present. This woody, trailing vine is poisonous to humans (contains alkaloids). In fact if honeybees from nearby hives use this plant solely for nectar gathering, the honey produced could be toxic.

Though poisonous to humans it is though harmlessly browsed by deer and its nectar also fed upon by ruby-throated hummingbirds, spicebush swallowtail butterflies, and other insects as seen inside the flower.

Though work was the agenda for the day there's always time to observe what's around you.

Carpenter Bee

As I explore the nooks and crannies of the barn for reptiles a high-pitched hum resonates behind me. Slowly turning I find a male carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) hovering inches from my nose. Most people would react by swatting at it or running, but I stand my ground and observe because after all I’m just as curious as he. I know it’s a male due to the white facial spot normally not found on females. (“Face black-stay back”) I also know that his show of force is all bluster because I’m privy to certain information about him. The fact that he’s not “weaponized”. Only the female carpenter bee packs a stinger and usually doesn’t deploy it unless provoked. I’ve been stung by wasps and honeybees but never by a female carpenter bee so I can’t attest to how potent it is, nor do I care to find out.
Looking straight up I realize why I’ve become the center of its attention. About four foot above me in one of the barn’s well-weathered cypress beams is a ½” ragged hole and at my feet directly below this hole the ground is peppered with sawdust. Ignoring the inquisitive male I step up on a ladder to get a closer look at the entrance hole and see sawdust being kicked out meaning that the female, who bores the tunnel, is busy at work. After a few minutes she begins backing out to take a breather. She buzzes me and I give her ample room and respect. When a proper area is selected for her nesting chamber she will gnaw with her powerful jaws straight into the wood an inch or so and then make a 90 degree turn until a long horizontal tunnel following the wood grain is cut. These tunnels can reach lengths up to four inches, but can be extended upwards of 10 feet.


Once the tunnel is complete the female will collect pollen and mix it with nectar forming small balls known as “bee bread”. She will deposit this bee bread into the end of the tunnel, lay an egg on it, move backwards an inch or so and then seal it off with a partition (wall) made of saliva and chewed up wood. She will then repeat this process until the tunnel is filled with these sealed chambers, finishing off by sealing the tunnel's entrance with a final spit of masticated wood chips.
Fully grown the new adults then chew through the partitions emerging late summer. They then collect pollen to be stored in the tunnel from which they developed and return to them to hibernate during the winter. When spring arrives they emerge and mate. These bees only produce one generation each year so the previous year’s adults are history.